Varuna Hobli to get its first Farmers Producers Organisatgion

The newly constituted Farmers Producers Organisation (FPO) will soon become a boon for small and marginal farmers in days to come. 

With the State already reeling under severe drought and farmers facing unprecedented hard-ships due to crop failure, by enrolling as member of FPO, farmers will be assured of getting money for their agricultural produces.

Officials of Horticulture Department in association with International Competent Center for Organic Agriculture are all set to establish 13 FPOs at Bengalru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Mandya, Ramnagar, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar. In all, 58 FPOs will be established in the State in due course of time.

Once the company comes into existence it will be tied up with an external agency for marketing their produce. They will made aware of the latest technologies that have been developed and introduce them to methods of growing crops using less water like drip irrigation, rain water harvesting and judicious use of pesticides and much more. Grass root level meetings are being held in villages to educate farmers of this new setup.

Thousand farmers upon paying Rs 1000 each can become a stake holder and for every Rs 10 lakh collected, Government will provide an equity amount of Rs 10 lakh. The money will help the farmers continue farming in times of crisis. All the seeds, pesticides, fertilisers, and other materials required for the agriculture will be provided through the company.

In Mysuru district, Varuna Hobli, Hullahalli in Nanjangud Taluk and Huseenapura at Hunsur Taluk are the three places included in the list to set up FPO. Selection of a target group of 1000 farmers in the Varuna hobli is completed, whereas in other taluks the completion is nearing.

In about a month the FPO at Varuna will be registered. They can directly place order and purchase required farm equipments, packaging materials and much more.

ICCOA Project Manager said that they will be motivating farmers to switch over to organic cultivation than following the traditional cultivation and this FPO setup will immensely benefit farmers.

Senior Assistant Director of Horticulture Anand said that in two months a FPO in every district will be registered, and farmers can make use of various programmes.